


meet and part and recombine

by frith_in_thorns



Series: who you haven't been yet [1]
Category: October Daye Series - Seanan McGuire
Genre: An Artificial Night, Everyone being worried about Toby, First Meetings, Friendship, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-20
Updated: 2014-04-20
Packaged: 2018-01-20 01:36:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1491925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frith_in_thorns/pseuds/frith_in_thorns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first of what will probably be a series of May timestamps for <i>An Artificial Night</i>.</p><p>After losing Toby in Lily's knowe, May is summoned by Sylvester to Shadowed Hills.</p>
            </blockquote>





	meet and part and recombine

May wasn't quite sure what to do about the car. Without mortal peril and a load of lost Fae kids needing rescue, she wasn't sure she could bring herself to get behind the wheel again of a ton of metal travelling at high speeds. (Technically she was indestructible, so on a personal level it shouldn't matter, but that was beside the point.)

 _Toby_ wouldn't be stuck like this. She had people she could call and ask for a favour. May even knew who all those people were, thanks to the memory dump of Toby's life she'd received along with the identical-twin body, but she wasn't sure how "Hi, I'm October's Fetch, can I have a ride?" would go down. Probably badly, even if she had happened to have anything should could make a call _on_. Which, of course, she didn't.

So far being a Fetch had mostly seemed to get her yelled at, including the bit where she'd been flouting the rules and actually saving Toby's life. Although Toby's memories also featured a lot of being yelled at, so she didn't intend to take it too personally.

She was still contemplating the interesting dilemma she was in when magic began to gather in the empty air in front of her, scented with ceder smoke and limes. Interestingly, the smell was far weaker than Toby's memories told her it should be, but it was strong enough that she wasn't surprised when a glowing portal appeared and a serious-looking Tuatha de Dannan stepped out of it. He opened his mouth and then stopped, blinking, as if actually having her in front of him had made him forget his prepared speech.

May smiled brightly anyway and stuck out her hand. No time like the present to begin making friends. "Hi! I'm May Daye, Toby's Fetch. You're Etienne, right?"

" _Sir_ Etienne," the Tuatha corrected, rather stiffly. He gave a slight bow, and looked uncomfortable as he straightened.

May was contentedly unaware of the courtly protocols for dealing with a Fetch. Toby certainly hadn't known. Therefore, it was with no small measure of amusement that she realised Etienne didn't know either. 

"I have been sent by His Grace, Duke Torquill of Shadowed Hills," Etienne proclaimed, obviously deciding to hide his discomfort behind formality. "He wishes to meet with you."

That was something May definitely hadn't expected. "Me? Why?"

"He's October's liege," Etienne said, as if that explained it. To him it presumably did.

May shrugged. "Well, I didn't have any other plans for this evening," she said. "As long as you're not expecting me to drive there."

"That won't be necessary," Etienne said, hastily. Ah — Connor must have reported in. "If you would allow me?"

She took his arm, aware that he was eyeing her clothing, but he held his tongue. The smell of his magic rose again around them and he sketched a circle in the air to reveal the reception room at Shadowed Hills — May recognised it immediately as she stepped through with him, and looked around her in unabashed curiosity. Everything was far more interesting when seen for real, rather than diluted through someone else's eyes.

"Guests often spin illusions to make their attire more… appropriate for Court," Etienne informed her. "However, His Grace would prefer you present yourself as you are on this occasion."

He clearly wasn't expected to accompany her any further, and was doing quite a good job at hiding his desire to see what Sylvester made of her. "It was great to meet you," May said. "Awesome lift!"

Etienne blinked a couple of times. Possibly she had sounded a bit overenthusiastic, but she _had_ enjoyed the Tuatha Express. "Open roads to you," he said, after a clear moment of struggling for a response, and strode purposefully off.

There was a page waiting by the door who wasn't bothering to hide his curiosity at all as he stared at May. She winked at him as he belatedly moved to open it.

Sylvester was alone on the dais, and he watched silently as she approached. (She had _definitely_ remembered the floor being less of a distance.) When she felt she was close enough, she bowed. Technically she should be curtsying, but this was Toby's gesture, and it felt right to use it.

"Rise," Sylvester said, and she straightened up. His eyes moved over her in gentle scrutiny. "So you're the Fetch summoned for October."

"I'm May, and yeah," May said. "Your Grace," she added.

He looked at her some more. "Then aren't you supposed to be _with_ October?" he asked.

"I lost her," May admitted. She was pretty sure it was supposed to be _impossible_ for her not to be able to reach the person she was the Fetch of. Unfortunately, as even a surface perusal of Toby's memories could prove, 'impossible' didn't hold very much meaning, and May could no longer feel even a trace of Toby's presence. "You know where she is, though, don't you?" She could see it in Sylvester's expression.

Reluctantly, Sylvester nodded. "My wife opened a Rose Road for her back to Blind Michael's lands," he said. His face was bleak. 

"She went back for Karen," May stated. It wasn't a shock. She had known it, really — just not wanted to admit it. 

Sylvester had been right. She was supposed to be with Toby. What good was she doing as a Fetch otherwise?

"There's nothing we can do," Sylvester said, quietly. May realised that his thoughts must be running along the same lines as hers. Then his golden eyes seemed to come into sharper focus as he dragged them out of the distance. "However, as October's liege, I feel I have some measure of responsibility towards her… relatives."

"I'm fine," May said, hastily. "You don't need to put yourself to trouble. I'll just crash at Toby's place until she gets back. Feed her cats." If Toby _didn't_ come back, she herself would become even less of a problem by simply ceasing to exist. She didn't think saying that would go down well with Sylvester, however.

"I insist," Sylvester said. More quietly, he added, "It's the only thing I can do."

"Oh," May said, just as quietly. This hadn't been part of the job description of Fetch. She hadn't expected to interact much with anyone apart from Toby, and certainly not to interact with people while Toby was off questing to rescue children from a Firstborn bogeyman.

Sylvester nodded as if she had just agreed. Perhaps she had. "I'll loan you Quentin — he needs something to do right now. I'll also make sure you don't lack for human money. Is there anything in particular you need?"

Here, finally, was a solution to her previous problem. "Toby's car is outside Lily's knowe, at Golden Gate Park. I'm not really a good driver. Would it be possible —"

"I'll have someone return it to her apartment," Sylvester promised.

May sighed with relief. "I should also probably get some clothes," she said, plucking at her hastily scavenged skirt. 

Sylvester followed her eyes. "Mmm," he agreed. "I should think Quentin can help you acquire some things which are more… suitable."

May had serious doubts that their ideas of "suitable" bore much resemblance to each other, but the first rule of diplomacy (which Toby continually failed to grasp) was knowing when not to say what you were thinking. "Sounds good," she said. "And, Your Grace, I bet Toby'll be back way before I've had a chance to pick out a decent wardrobe."

"I hope — I'm _sure_ you're right," Sylvester said. 

"I've got all her memories," May said. "She's _way_ too stubborn to do anything else. Trust me."

For the first time, Sylvester managed to smile.


End file.
